The present patent application relates generally to a heat exchange assembly, and more particularly, to an integrated heat exchange assembly having a support structure and a vapor chamber disposed over a hot component of a circuit card, for dissipation of generated heat.
Electrical devices often produce heat during operation that needs to be dissipated. A heat dissipation device includes a heat exchange assembly having a heat spreader coupled to a hot component of an electrical device, so as to dissipate the heat generated from the hot component to a heat sink via the heat spreader. The heat spreader typically includes a solid plate made of copper or aluminum material. The heat spreader generally dissipates heat by transferring heat along a tortuous heat path from the hot component to the heat sink via the heat spreader. Such devices have a limited heat transfer capacity because of a longer heat travel path from the hot component to the heat sink and limitations on the maximum temperature logic devices can experience without sacrificing reliability.
During assembling of such a heat exchange assembly within a housing of an electrical device, non-planarity and height mismatches between the housing and the components may also occur. Due to the limited flexibility of the heat spreader, the heat sink, and the planar architecture of the housing, a thermal interface material may be disposed between the hot component and the heat spreader. Such a thermal interface material has to be thick and compliant, resulting in substantial thermal resistance, which reduces the efficiency of heat transfer from the hot component to the heat sink.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved heat exchange assembly.